APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax

taxjustice.ukBillions of tax lost as UK illicit finance summit delayed again - Tax Justice UKThe UK illicit finance summit has been delayed once more, with research from Tax Justice UK showing tens of billions of tax revenue lost.

The UK is set to lose £31bn in tax revenue while the illicit finance summit is delayed yet again. Our APPG members @steffanaquarone.bsky.social and Lloyd Hatton MP have warned that dirty money has real consequences for public services and national security. taxjustice.uk/blog/illicit...

As Steff put it, tackling illicit finance means tackling “dodgy shops on the high street”, dirty money and the lack of funding for public services. Lloyd has called for the extra time to be used to deliver “tough action” with international partners. The summit must not see yet more delays.

telegraph.co.uktelegraph.co.uk

New analysis from Transparency International UK shows an estimated £2.2bn of suspected illicit wealth has been funnelled into new-build property in Britain since 2016. www.telegraph.co.uk/money/proper...

Estate agents, banks and lawyers must carry out due diligence on property buyers. But developers selling their own homes off-plan face no such duty. As the country works to build the homes it needs, we cannot allow new developments to become a safe haven for dirty money.

We welcome the Government's commitment to consult on illicit finance in property development under the Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Strategy. That consultation should lead to one clear outcome: bringing developers within the scope of the Money Laundering Regulations.

telegraph.co.uktelegraph.co.uk

🏠 630+ homes worth £1.6bn bought by people facing criminal investigation or UK sanctions 🏗️ 78 development sites worth £647m linked to landowners with suspicious wealth or corruption allegations

Today the APPG held its 2026 AGM, attended by MPs and peers from Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Independent benches. Tackling corruption and dirty money is not a party political issue, and our members are united across party lines in taking it on.

🌴We will push for an ambitious Illicit Finance Summit and keep up the pressure for transparency in the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. 🗳️As the Representation of the People Bill moves to its later stages, we will work with parliamentarians to strengthen the integrity of our democracy.

🏬Ahead of the High Streets Strategy, we will keep making the case for tougher action against organised crime damaging our high streets. 🤫We will also continue to support implementation of anti-SLAPPs legislation, and push for more action to address professional enablers.

We are delighted to confirm @philbrickellmp.bsky.social as Chair for 2026-27, with the Rt Hon Sir Andrew Mitchell MP, Bobby Dean MP and @rachelblakemp.bsky.social elected as Vice Chairs. Members also set out our priorities for the year ahead 👇

labourlist.org'Britain cannot let billionaire donors buy our democracy' - LabourListForeign interference and big money distorting our democracy can only be solved through constructive collaboration.

This week is Labour Party Conference. Our Chair, @philbrickellmp.bsky.social Brickell MP, writes for @labourlist.bsky.social on the urgent need to tackle the growing influence of big money in British politics 👇

With political donations reaching unprecedented levels, Phil argues that Parliament must act now to introduce a clear donation cap, strengthen political finance rules and protect the integrity of our democracy. Read the full article👉 labourlist.org/2026/09/brit...

Peers from across the Lords used the Second Reading of the Representation of the People Bill to say the same thing: the Bill leaves too much open or unaddressed, and the stakes are too high for it to do so 👇

New ‘Know Your Donor’ checks should be made much tougher, in line with the strict standards financial institutions are held to. And the effectiveness of the Bill’s £100,000 cap on overseas donations is already being tested - to the tune of £72m.

We'll be coordinating with peers of all parties and none to fix these loopholes and others – to ensure that the Bill is a truly effective safeguard for our precious democracy.

Peers from across the House therefore questioned the absence of a donation cap within the Bill as it stands. Ministers have pledged that a cross-government “task and finish team” will review options, but we believe it is now urgent to include a cap in the Bill.

The crypto donation ban covers parties but not candidates, and nothing in the Bill addresses the exchanges that sit behind those donations. The Bill also doesn’t address emerging risks of the use of politically affiliated memecoins or digital tokens for fundraising by candidates, MPs and parties.

Political money is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, with an ever-greater hold over our politics. Donations of £1m or more were 1% of private giving in 2015. By 2024, they were 35%. This comes against the backdrop of two record-breaking donations - £36m each - to one political party.

16 Sept

The APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax welcomes the Government's new Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Strategy. There is real ambition here, including £550 million of investment over 3 years and 500 new officers across law enforcement and justice 👇

16 Sept

But the Government must go further. We need sustainable funding for the agencies delivering it, including the NCA and the SFO; a ring-fenced, multi-year Economic Crime Fighting Fund, which would reinvest a greater proportion of seized criminal assets back into those agencies that recovered them.

16 Sept

Why should the taxpayer be asked to stump up, when we should be making the criminals pay? Get this right, and this Strategy could be transformative. Find the new Strategy here 👉https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-money-laundering-and-asset-recovery-strategy-2026-to-2029

14 Sept

Two crypto billionaires handed a political party £72 million this weekend. That's more than every party in Britain received in donations across the whole of last year. Today peers begin Second Reading of the Representation of the People Bill. The APPG are backing amendments to secure our democracy.

A strong set of contributions from MPs across the House during the Representation of the People Bill debate last week From tackling political donations routed through crypto, to strengthening “Know Your Donor” rules and regulating campaign spending - see some of the highlights below 👇

Finally, @emilythornberry.bsky.social argued that political donations should come from people genuinely contributing to British society, rather than individuals using tax arrangements while maintaining only a nominal connection to the country.

The principle behind all of these amendments is straightforward: our electoral rules need to keep pace with modern politics, modern money and modern campaigning. The APPG will keep pushing for a Bill that properly protects the integrity and fairness of our democracy.

@philbrickellmp.bsky.social argued New Clause 121 would future-proof any reduction in spending limits by requiring them to be assessed against three tests: fairness of elections, the impact on political parties, and public confidence in electoral integrity.

Lloyd Hatton MP proposed closing another potential loophole by requiring new parties to face permissibility checks on funds above £250,000 already held when they register.

@joepowell.bsky.social called for the Electoral Commission’s review to consider whether the current long and short campaign system actually works. Candidates can be selected years before an election, creating a substantial period of effectively uncapped spending.

@anneliesedoddsmp.bsky.social welcomed the Government’s commitment to expedite the Electoral Commission’s review of campaign spending limits, while making clear that the Commission must now move quickly to stop the spending arms race.

Mark Sewards MP argued that “Know Your Donor” rules should go further, including checks on politically exposed persons and the source of donated wealth. If these checks apply when someone takes out a mortgage, political parties accepting millions should face equivalent scrutiny.

@elliechowns.bsky.social proposed New Clause 30, which would examine annual campaign spending limits. Campaigning no longer happens only during the short election campaign; politics happens online and year-round, so spending rules need to reflect that reality.

@liambyrnemp.bsky.social - New Clause 34 would close loopholes allowing money to be routed through crypto exchanges, converted into fiat and donated on, while also preventing political donations through digital tokens and meme coins.

Ex-Democracy Minister @rushanaraalibgs.bsky.social also backed New Clause 34, arguing that our rules must cover digital tokens and meme coins held in crypto wallets, bringing them within the same safeguards as other assets.

labourlist.org'A renaissance of our high streets is in reach' - LabourListThe condition of Britain’s High Streets has become a stark symbol of economic decline and state failure. Labour are changing that.

Member and former APPG Chair Joe Powell MP writes on this week's high street announcements - including new local powers over what opens, longer closure orders, and a permanent successor to Operation Machinize. labourlist.org/2026/08/a-re...

- A statutory 'Know Your Tenant' duty on commercial landlords - who currently owe no duty to check who they let to - Permanent closure for repeat offenders - An end to the £13 getaway - a company can be born for £100 and buried for £13, with no final accounts required

The £451m committed to reviving high streets is great news, but the underlying market still contains dangerous loopholes that favour criminal operators.

This is welcome progress. But the existing toolkit still mainly produces fines, not closures: Machinize visited 2,734 premises and made 959 arrests, yet only around 10 shops were permanently closed in the first wave. Three things need to follow 👇

11 Aug

✅ 𝑨𝑷𝑷𝑮 𝑾𝑰𝑵 The Government has announced new powers for councils to take back control of the high street - measures the APPG has been calling for. 1. New vape shops will now need planning permission, closing the loophole that let them open unchecked 👇

11 Aug

2. The definition of a vape shop is being tightened so operators can't dodge the rules by posing as convenience stores. 3. Closure orders will double from 6 to 12 months, giving law enforcement the time they need to investigate links to organised crime - and stop rogue operators simply reopening.

11 Aug

With at least £1bn laundered through high street businesses every year, this is a serious step forward in ending the kind of corrupt practices that we all bear witness to in our communities on a daily basis. There's plenty more yet to do...

10 July

If you've got money, getting politicians to listen is often far easier than if you've just got a vote. That has to change. An independent review has backed reforms to drag lobbying out of the shadows. No more hidden meetings. No more special treatment. No more backroom deals.

8 July

A hostile foreign state cannot legally donate to a British political party. But it can give money to a British citizen, who then donates it instead. On paper it's a British donation. In reality, it's foreign money entering our politics through a middleman 👇

8 July

The upcoming Representation of the People Bill strengthens donor declarations, but leaves this loophole open. Our amendment makes it illegal to accept money that comes from an impermissible overseas source. It also requires parties to carry out reasonable checks on where donations originate.

8 July

It does not criminalise genuine mistakes or paperwork errors. It targets the deliberate laundering of foreign money into British politics. Foreign cash has no place influencing British democracy through the back door.

If your bank took a large payment without checking whether it came from a high-risk country, prominent politician or the proceeds of crime, it would be breaking the law. Political parties? Not so much... 👇

The Government’s elections bill introduces new "know your donor" requirements for political parties. These are hugely welcome, but the bill as it stands doesn't specifically make them check some obvious red flags - politically exposed people and source of wealth.

That’s why we’re tabling an amendment to the bill that writes these risk factors into the law. Know your donor should mean what it says.

thetimes.comStandards watchdog set to interview Farage over £5m giftThe Reform UK leader is facing scrutiny over money from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne and his links with George Cottrell

🚨🧵 1/3 The APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax supports the important work that the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards does in overseeing the rules for all parliamentarians. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

2/3 Due process must always come first, as must the operational independence of the Commissioner.